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Sunday, January 29

It's not unusual for us who live where snow is plentiful, to take advantage of all that its abundance has to offer, but what's weird this year is that we're barging into the month of February this week, and this past weekend was the first weekend that there was enough snow accumulated, for the longest period of time this year, without unbearably cold temperatures, and less than aggressive winds.

We got to get our winter groove on and our groove, was gotten…

What's also weird about this time of year, is that having been a Norther Mainer, my whole life… I am just as awkward at walking on anything frozen beneath my feet, as my feet are as awkward at walking beneath me.

It may come as a shock to any of you who have had the honor of witnessing any of my secret agent reenactments, but my timid shuffle across any amount of ice could easily be similar to watching a one legged Moose trying to do a cartwheel…

Have I mentioned what is underneath all of this newly collected snow?

Regardless, I shuffled and wide waddled my boot covered feet away this weekend, as we transitioned from an inside snow day…

To our outside snow day…

Our winter has been so broken up so far… -20 one day, shifting to 40 degrees the next… Snow dumping down in the morning, followed by rain in the afternoon to wash all it all away… It's safe to say, our winter stride has yet to be found… yet… after a weekend like this past.. I'm feeling very hopeful for our winter weekends to come...

Though I'm not one for clutter, I will admit, having this as an end of the day sight, couldn't mark for a more success day...

Success trumps, clutter…

And though this ending may seem abrupt, you'll have to excuse me … the kids are finally all asleep and I have a date that can finally come out of hiding.

Thursday, January 26

Over the last few weeks, I've attempted to warm myself up to the idea of embracing my birthday as another year's experienced with 365 days added, to the reflection on my accomplishments and acknowledgement of my failure, in the time spent in the prior 28 years. How this accumulated experience would somehow transfer some clarity of how I would handle all that will come with in this 29th year.

All of the self-pep talking to embrace a day marked to celebrate the recognition of another year living, fleeted when the time was now, leaving me trudging through the day, with a certain surrendered calm, putting my head down and press on, I coached myself to get through until today.

It's sounds absolutely ridiculous to have this kind of resistance to a birthday. It's not for fear of getting old, it has nothing to do with the fact that my hips have been assigned my 'trouble area' when it comes to physical fitness, I have no qualms about the sprouting grey, the creasing of wrinkles, but am more secure in my feels of where my energy is best spent, and who it's best spent with…I am however, a little biffed at the fact that over the last few years I've noticed my upper body strength has weakened enough that opening a jar of olives takes more effort….{which is almost a little to much gender cliché for me to handle}… you would have thought {warning: another cliché of the genders ahead} all of this baby lugging would tone those puppies up… but I digress…

As much as I am gung-ho for everyone else's' birthday, I would prefer mine to slide right by, unnoticed, but it wont… and I tried to welcome it this year... I did...but there is little hope in redirecting the fact that every fiber of my body resists a day that openly reminds me that everything around me is moving forward… time not only moves swiftly, but quickly… there is no countering this fight, because I'm never going to let go of wanting to keep right now, as it is… forever… and just because forward is an inevitable direction, doesn't mean I have to be ok with it… and on January 25th, I'm not… but I am ok with that too.

{Their next trip down the hill the wind would help pushed them a little further… down the hill more.. and into a tree… after that, we called sliding quits for the day}

Although yesterday didn't get completely wasted, I gave myself liceanse to eat cake for breakfast, allow myself to have a complete "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch" reprieve, and exercised my right to declare, "Kiss me it's my birthday!!" a few more times that my normal 'Kiss me…' requests.

I happily woke up to today being the day after, with the silver lining of yesterday's annually dreaded day being that with a few tweaks I very well may have created what could potential be the most amazing of amazing pasta sauces in the world… in.the.world.

And I don't know if I could go into today any more grateful for all of you who posted their positive birthday wishes on Facebook, who sent emoticon blinged text messages, made phone calls with songs attached, wrote heartfelt cards, gave unexpected presents and made delicious love filled cakes!